Shrub rose plant named ‘POULbut’

ABSTRACT

A new shrub rose plant which has abundant, non-fading, light pink flowers and attractive foliage. This new and distinct variety has shown to be uniform and stable in the resulting generations from asexual propagation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention constitutes a new and distinct variety of groundcover rose plant which originated from a controlled crossing conductedin spring 1990 between Bonica 82 and an unnamed seedling. The twoparents were crossed and the resulting seeds were planted in acontrolled environment. The new variety is named ‘POULbut’.

The new rose may be distinguished from its seed parent, Bonica 82, bythe following combination of characteristics:

1. The seed parent has soft pink flowers which are 60 mm in diameterwith 35 to 40 petals while ‘POULbut’ has light pink single flowers with6-8 petals which are 35-40 mm in diameter.

2. The seed parent is bushy and somewhat compact, while ‘POULbut’ is alow growing ground cover rose with spreading canes.

The new variety may be distinguished from its pollen parent, an unnamedunpatented seedling created by the same inventors, by the followingcombination of characteristics:

1. The pollen parent has white, small, semi-double flowers in clusters,while ‘POULbut’ has light pink single flowers with 6-8 petals which are35-40 mm in diameter.

2. One of the parents of the unnamed seedling is ‘POULcat’, agroundcover rose by the same inventors.

The objective of the hybridization of this rose variety for commercialgreenhouse culture was to create a new and distinct variety with uniquequalities, such as:

1. Abundant, light pink flowers;

2. A low growing ground cover rose with uniform growth and a spreadinghabit;

3. Glossy and disease resistant foliage which requires limitedmaintenance, making it ideal for use in landscapes; and

4. Good growth on its own roots as well as a traditionally budded plant.

This combination of qualities is not present in previously availablecommerical cultivars of this type and distinguish ‘POULbut’ from allother varieties of which we are aware.

As part of their rose development program, L. Pernille Olesen and MogensN. Olesen germinated the seeds from the aforementioned hybridization andconducted evaluations on the resulting seedlings in a controlledenvironment in Fredensborg, Denmark.

‘POULbut’ was selected by the inventors in the spring of 1991 as asingle plant from the progeny of the aforementioned hybridization.Asexual reproduction of ‘POULbut’ by traditional budding was first doneby L. Pernille and Mogens N. Olesen in their nursery in Fredensborg,Denmark in August, 1991. This initial and other subsequent propagationsconducted in controlled environments have demonstrated that thecharacteristics of ‘POULbut’ are true to type and are transmitted fromone generation to the next.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying color illustration shows as true as is reasonablypossible to obtain in color photographs of this type, the typicalcharacteristics of the buds, flowers, leaves, stems, and a plant of‘POULbut’. Specifically illustrated in SHEET 1:

1. Stem showing branching and the attachment of leaves, buds, andpeduncles;

2. Flower bud, partially opened bud, and open bloom;

3. Flower petals, detached;

4. Sepals, receptacle, and pedicel;

5. Flowering stem as well as a bare stem exhibiting thorns;

6. Leaves.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

The following is a description of ‘POULbut’, as observed in its growthduring September, 1998 in a field nursery in Jackson County, Oreg. Colorreferences are made using The Royal Horticultural Society (London,England) Colour Chart, 1995, except where common terms of color areused.

For a comparison, several physical characteristics of the rose variety‘POULlen’, a shrub rose variety from the same inventors described andillustrated in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,273 and issued on Sep. 5, 1995 arecompared to ‘POULbut’ in Chart 1.

CHART 1 ‘POULbut’ ‘POULlen’ Petal, color, upper Red Group 56D. Red Group56B. surface open flower Petal color, reverse Red Group 56D. Red Group55C. surface open flower Petal count per Single. 6-8 petals underDouble. 33 to 37 petals flower. normal conditions under normalconditions.

Parents:

Seed parent.—Bonica 82.

Pollen parent.—Unnamed, unpatented seedling.

Classification:

Botanical.—Rosa hybrida.

Commercial.—Ground cover.

FLOWER AND FLOWER BUD

Blooming habit: Recurrent.

Flower bud:

Size.—Upon opening, 15 mm in length from base of receptacle to end ofbud.

Bud form.—Pointed ovoid.

Bud color.—As sepals unfold, Red Group 52D. Red Group 49B at ¼ opening.

Sepals.—Yellow-Green Group 144A. Weak foliaceous appendages on three ofthe five sepals. Surfaces of sepals slightly pubescent. Limited numbersof stipitate glands are present on margins and outer surfaces of sepalswith extensions.

Receptacle.—Surface: With moderate numbers of white hairs. Shape:Pear-shaped. Size: Small. 4 mm (h)×3 mm (w). Color: Green Group 144A.

Peduncle.—Surface: With numerous stipitate glands and white hairs.Length: 18-22 mm average length. Color: Yellow-Green Group 144B.Strength: Erect.

Borne.—Multiple buds per stem. Generally with 15-25 buds per floweringstem.

Flower bloom:

Fragrance.—None.

Duration.—The blooms have a duration on the plant of approximately 2 to3 days. Petals fall cleanly away from plant.

Size.—Small. Average flower diameter is 35-40 mm when open.

Form.—Shape of flower when viewed from the side: Upon opening, upperpart: Convex. Upon opening, lower part: Convex. Open flower, upper part:Flattened convex. Open flower, lower part: Flat.

Petalage.—Single. Average range: 6-8 petals under normal conditions with0-2 petaloids.

Color:

Upon opening, petals.—Petals: Upper Surface: Red Group 49C. ReverseSide: Red Group 49B.

Upon opening, basal petal spots.—Outer Side: Green-White Group 157C.Inner Side: Green-White Group 157C.

After opening, petals.—Petals: Upper Surface: Red Group 56D. ReverseSide: Red Group 56D.

After opening, basal petal spots.—Outer Side: Green-White Group 157D.Inner Side: Green-White Group 157D.

General tonality: On open flower Red Group 56D. No change in the generaltonality at the end of the second day. Afterwards, general tonality isRed Group 36D.

Petals:

Petal reflex.—None.

Petal edge.—Uniform. With point in center of margin.

Shape.—Deltoid.

Petaloids.—Few.

Thickness.—Thin.

Arrangement.—Informal.

Reproductive organs:

Pollen.—Color: Yellow-Orange Group 17C. Abundance: Average.

Anthers.—Size: Medium. Color, immature: Greyed-Orange Group 168C toYellow Group 13D. Color, mature: Greyed-Orange Group 165D. Abundance:Average.

Filaments.—Color: Green-Yellow Group 1B.

Stigmas.—Limited numbers of female floral parts. Stigmas located at sameposition as anthers. Color: Yellow-Green Group 145D.

Styles.—With limited hairs on styles. Color: Yellow-Green Group 145C.Other intonations: Below stigma, style is Greyed-Purple 185B.

Ovary.—Half inferior.

Hip formation.—None observed.

PLANT

Plant growth: Ground cover with spreading habit. When grown as a buddedfield grown plant on R. multiflora understock, the average height of theplant itself is 20-25 cm and the average width is 90-100 cm.

Stems:

Color.—Young wood: Yellow-Green Group 144B. Older wood: Yellow-GreenGroup 146B.

Prickles.—Incidence: Moderate. Size: Smaller prickles from 4 to 5 mmlong; larger prickles from 5 to 9 mm long. Color: Young: Red Group39B-C. Mature: Greyed-Orange Group 167D. Shape: Linear.

Surface.—Young wood: Smooth. Older wood: Smooth.

Plant foliage: Normal number of leaflets on normal leaves in middle ofthe stem: 5-7 leaflets. On leaves with 7 leaflets, lower leaflets arereduced in size.

Leaf size: Small. 60 mm (l)×30-35 mm (w).

Abundance.—Average to above average abundance.

Color.—Upper Leaf Surface: Green Group 137A. Lower Leaf Surface: GreenGroup 138B. Juvenile foliage: Upper side: Green Group 137A. Lower side:Green Group 137A. Anthocyanin intonation: Limited. Location: Thorns,peduncles, leaflet rachis, and leaf petioles. Color: Greyed-Red Group179A.

Plant leaves and leaflets:

Stipules.—Size: 10 mm-12 mm. Color: Green Group 143B. Presence ofstipitate glands: Stipitate glands present on margins of most stipules.

Petiole.—Length: 14 mm-18 mm. Color: Green Group 137A. Underneath: Somewith prickles and a few stipitate glands. Mostly smooth, glabrous.Margins: With stipitate glands and limited numbers of fine white hairs.

Rachis.—Color: Green Group 137A. Underneath: Some with prickles and afew stipitate glands. Mostly smooth, glabrous. Margins: With stipitateglands and limited numbers of fine white hairs.

Leaflet.—Edge: Serrated. Shape: Ovate. Other: Moderately glossy finish.Thin texture.

Disease resistance: Above average resistance to mildew and Black spotunder normal growing conditions in Jackson County, Oreg.

Winter hardiness: Winter hardy in Denmark and in Jackson County, Oreg.

We claim:
 1. A new and distinct variety of rose plant of the groundcover class, substantially as herein illlustrated and described as adistinct and novel rose variety due to its abundant, light pink flowers,spreading habit, and disease resistance.